Shadow - AC
by ZachMercurious
Summary: Zack was able to beat Sephiroth, and stop Meteor from crashing into the planet; however, Jenova was mysteriously missing from the final battle. Shinra moves to recover the alien life form from North Crater, where Sephiroth believed to had hid it, but a certain trio is there the moment they open the way. With a slightly tweaked story line, the story continues on!
1. Prologue

**A/N: For all those fans, old and new...here it is! Don't expect an exact copy as, obviously, some stuff would have changed with Zack's life not having ended. As the way things ended, and the way it was set up, I do not expect the second part to be very long. And so...I present Advent Children, Shadow-style!**

**DISCLAIMER: FINAL FANTASY 7 AND ALL IT'S LIKENESS ARE PROPERTY OF SQUARE ENIX.**

**Final Fantasy VII**

**Shadow – Advent Children: Prologue**

"Thank you for calling. All's Fair in love and war, how can I help you," came the usual greeting. Zack turned his blue eyes from the bundle of joy in the high chair in front of him, to the beautiful form of his wife at the phone.

A lot had changed in the last two years. His dreams had been fulfilled. He was married to the woman of his dreams, opened his own mercenary company, and started a family. The boy in front of him gurgled a little bit as he slammed his teething ring on the hard top of the high chair. His green eyes didn't reflect any pain from the process, and this made Zack smile. He ruffled his sons black hair, which he supposed needed to be cut soon. It was becoming quite the mop top.

Aerith, still on the phone, smiled to the man as their son let out a random cry of joy. She jotted down the details of the job the person was requesting. With everything that had happened, the mercenary job wasn't as dangerous as it could have been. With Shinra's military power destroyed, no nations really fought—like Zack had against Wutai. Mainly it was monster hunting jobs, or the occasional delivery job.

Zack looked back to his son as Aerith hung up the phone. "What do you think, Aiden, wanna come on this job with me?"

"If you take our son to kill a gang of Goblins, I will kill you when you get back," his wife voice chimed in as she slid the paper work across the counter top of the kitchen island. Zack gave his signature grin and grabbed the paper.

"Oh, c'mon babe, I'm betting Aiden's gonna be a bonafide bad ass after I get done training 'em," Zack replied as he read over the paper. "But I suppose I could settle for taking Cloud."

Cloud had readily joined Zack in starting the business. While Tifa still ran a bar, Seventh Heaven, Cloud found he wasn't much suited for serving drinks—especially when men were leering at his wife. Even when she had been with child she'd still have men trying to pick her up every night. On more than one occasion, Tifa had had to throw the offending patron and her husband out of the bar.

The blonde swordsman had tried to start a delivery service, but, that didn't last too long. He didn't like being away from home to often—especially when Tifa had been pregnant. So instead, he opted to do odd jobs with Zack. Of course, Cid had made off like a bandit with the Highwind, which left them either traveling by car or Chocobo. Naturally Zack preferred the latter, and Cloud had a nifty motorcycle. Despite what Cloud boasted, Zack was confident that Hannibal could out run his bike. Old as he was getting, that Chocobo had plenty of spunk.

"Doubtful. This weekend is Chloe's birthday party, remember? Everyone is supposed to be there. Maybe you should assign it to someone...it's one of the few times we get to see everyone, Zack."

He mulled the idea around in his head for a bit before he frowned. Any of the other guys could handle a group of Goblins, but this was far up North. And North meant near the Crater...and he was still slightly paranoid of letting any one but himself or Cloud near that place. Even when he and Aerith were on their honeymoon he was nervous. The Planet said Sephiroth was gone..but he was still worried. There hadn't been any sign of the crazy ass creature mother thing of his, and it wasn't like Sephiroth to have left his 'mother' too far away. And to Zack, that meant it was still up there in the crater somewhere.

Rufus had expressed wanting to go and excavate the crater to recover it—after all it was too dangerous to let hibernate, under thousands of pounds of rubble or snow otherwise. Zack made it clear he didn't want anyone going near there—as there was a lot about Jenova they didn't know.

"Nah, I'll go. I'll call Cid for a lift, and be back in time for the birthday party," Zack replied, giving Aerith a grin. "Hadn't been able to fly in awhile. Think it might be fun!"

* * *

"Charges are set, sir," the female said, causing Tseng to nod. He stood a safe distance back, where she had rejoined them, and his hands held a phone to his ear. The man on the other end of the phone spoke.

"Detonate it."

Tseng nodded to the female, Elena, and she flicked the dongle switch in her hand. A beep issued, followed by a ground shattering explosion that caused snow and debris to explode upwards. As it began to settle, the duo uncovered their mouth and progressed forward, Tseng still on the phone.

They hadn't even made it fifty feet when the sound of crunching snow made the two turn. The trio that stood before them, having come from behind them, were clad in black and bore silver hair much like the dreaded man they feared two years after his death.

"Thank you for clearing the way...mother has been so very lonely."

**A/N: And that's it. Sorry it's short, but I wanted to get this up! Looks like things are taking a faster pace, does this mean Sephiroth is going to crash the birthday party? Will the terrible trio even merge with Jenova? R&amp;R!**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Chapter 1!**

**DISCLAIMER: FINAL FANTASY 7 AND ALL IT'S LIKENESS ARE PROPERTY OF SQUARE ENIX.**

_Shionlover: Awww, thanks man! I'm glad to have such a loyal fan! I'm working on Chapter 1 right now! :D And your English is fine if ya ask me!_

**Final Fantasy VII**

**Shadow – Advent Children: Chapter 1**

"Alright that's everything...I think," came the smooth baritone as a stack of items were set on the bed.

Tifa turned from her closet. She had been inspecting the garments, trying to decide what to wear for the party. Should she go with an old sun dress? Or maybe go and buy herself something new? Oh! That was an idea, she could talk Cloud into going, she was sure.

"Wow...did you wrap them yourself," Tifa asked, stepping up to the bed.

"O-of course! Why would you even ask," the blonde haired man responded, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Cloud," Tifa stated, cutting her chocolate eyes to the man. As per usual, he crumpled immediately.

"No, M-"

"-arlene helped, right? I'm sure by helped you mean wrapped them all for you," Tifa finished.

"Hey, give me some credit. I wrapped this one," Cloud said defensively. Picking up one of the items, he showed it to her. Like most men, his wrapping skills were...well below average. It loosely moved in the wrapping paper as she took it from him. She had to admit, her husband had come out of his shell entirely. While he had always been withdrawn somewhat, even as kids, that was all but gone. She had learned that closed off-ness wasn't because he was a loner, but because he had a huge crush on her. Now, he was a lot like Zack—though he didn't share the man's deathly fear of spiders. She had to admit, he was cute unique...but the man he shown her he was was downright sexy.

She placed the present back on the bed and stepped in front of Cloud. "And here I was thinking of giving _you _a present for wrapping all those on your own..."

Cloud blinked his blue eyes, the corner of his mouth twitching at a smirk he was holding back. "Oh really?"

"But, since you didn't...well, that's that isn't it?"

Cloud didn't hide his disappointment before the brown haired fighter pushed him back, causing him to fall onto the bed. Straddling her husband, Tifa walked her fingers up his chest. "I guess there is -something- you could do to earn it..."

"Oh really," Cloud repeated, head lifted as Tifa draped herself across his chest, turning her lips to his ear.

"Mmmhmm...but you have to really want that present..." Tifa whispered.

Cloud swallowed a lump. Their relationship had always been like this, he would admit. He was pretty sure they wouldn't have had Chloe, but Tifa was pretty...forward. Not that he didn't harbor sexual desire towards his wife—far from it, in fact, but Tifa was usually the one to initiate any type of contact like this. Usually.

"...say the word," Cloud said, his voice having dropped with desire that Tifa took note of.

"...we go shopping for a dress for Saturday."

"...I'm good," Cloud said, causing Tifa to roll her eyes, not that the blonde swordsman could see. She sat up a bit, moving so that her hips were atop his and leaned back down, sending kisses up his neck, back to his ear where she spoke again—this time in a breathy whisper.

"You sure, Cloud," she asked in a tone that made Cloud shudder.

"...L,let me get my keys," he replied. As per usual, he crumbled.

* * *

"Heya Shera, is Cid there," Zack asked as he tried to feed Aiden a spoon full of applesauce. The boy was wearing more than the father could get into his mouth. Aerith sat at the table, watching, hiding her smile behind her interlaced hands. She had asked Zack's mother, and apparently Zack was the same type of child—he wore more than he ate. The boy merely laughed as his father 'flew' the spoon around. Zack took the opening of the child's mirth to place the spoon inside his mouth. The child blinked, cheeks slightly puffed from the sauce as he looked at his father in disbelief.

"He is. I was just about to put on some tea. Let me step out and get him," the woman's voice came.

Zack waited patiently as he heard the opening and slam of a screen door followed by the typical static of a receiver being covered up as she spoke. When the sound came of phones changing hands, Zack smirked as Cid spoke.

"Yeah, whaddaya want? I told ya'll I'll be there at Chloe's party," Cid said and Zack replied.

"Hey, this is about work. If I slide ya some of the pay, do you think you give me a lift to Icicle Inn?"

There was a pause. "Look kid, I like you—I really do, but going anywhere near that crater gives me the creeps. Furthermore, if I miss the party cause I'm haulin' your ass around, Shera will lay into me something good."

Zack rolled his eyes. Shera never yelled, not that he had seen in the last two years. What Cid really meant was state that she was disappointed in him and leave it at that. Cid was the type of man who would rather just be yelled at that talked to when he was in trouble. But that was fine, Zack had learned exactly what buttons to push with Cid.

"So, the great Cid is telling me the Highwind can't make it from Kalm to Icicle Inn and then to Midgar in less than a day?"

There was the distinct sound of Cid exhaling a plume of smoke—of course he was smoking. "Now you listen here, kid, I ain't saying that. You just better hold on to your teensy tights cause I'll be there to pick you up tomorrow."

"Alright, see ya then," Zack said as he hung up the phone. He turned to see Aerith shaking her head at him.

"Who would have thought, Mr. Fair, that you could be so manipulative. Do you have a materia I don't know about," she asked.

Zack grinned. "I'm pretty sure I put it in the ring I gave you."

He barely had time to dodge the oven mitt she launched at him.

* * *

"Yo, boss, any word," Reno asked as he reclined upon a chair, kicking his feet up on the decadent table that furnished the room. Himself, the Shinra President, and Rude were all within the room. It had been two days since they last heard from Elena and Tseng, and that wasn't good. Tseng wasn't one to not check in—the man was a by the books kinda guy.

"No," Rufus replied, wheeling his mechanized chair into the room. Rude, who had been standing with his arms folded near the window, bowed his head in courtesy towards the man.

"What about our other agents? Are they still undercover," Rufus inquired to Reno, and the laid back fiery haired man waved his hand.

"Of course. I spoke with Cissnei this morning. She's living it up in Costa De Sol, while we're here slaving away in Midgar."

Rufus gave a small smile. "I keep you and Rude here with me, because I need to be able to extend my reach here. With Tseng and Elena in the field—and Cissnei working as our eyes and ears across the ocean—you two are my main force here. You give yourself too little credit."

"Yeah, but still" Reni said, letting his feet down, "I'm a little worried about Tseng and Elena."

"I am sure they are fine. With all the energy readings the crater gives off here, some phone interference is expected the closer you get."

Reno let the subject rest, but was clear that Rufus was worried. And if the Prez was worried, he knew they should be too. He couldn't shake the feeling that things had gotten dicey when his two co-workers hit boots on ground at the crater. And if they got dicey, it meant that there was literally someone still around to _make_ things dicey. And that meant that a certain black haired swordsman needed to be consulted.

"Alright, well...Rude and I are gonna hit the streets. Need anything while we're out, boss," Reno asked as he stood.

"Actually...there is...one thing," Rufus replied.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: If you haven't, go back and read the prequel to this: 'Shadow', found under my other stories authored! The first few chapters, as you can guess, are mostly fluff and establishing the relationships of our heroes—as I feel a lot wasn't fleshed out in the previous fic. So, if you're expecting break-neck fight scenes in this chapter...well, you're gonna be disappointed, sorry! Also, sorry for the small delay. I'll try to keep the breaks between chapters less than this one was!**

**DISCLAIMER: FINAL FANTASY 7 AND ALL IT'S LIKENESS ARE PROPERTY OF SQUARE ENIX.**

_Guest: Crisp writing? I dunno...sometimes I feel like it isn't good enough, and write some lines 2-19 times! XD But thank you very much!_

_ZalelTribal: We'll have to see if this lives up to your awesome-ness! :D _

_Rooj: Thank you for your wonderful compliments on my Shadow fic. I hope that this one lives up to the legacy that my previous fic seems to have solidified!_

_Shion,over: Sorry for the delay! Here's the next installment!_

_Mokoloco: Holy crap, started with Shadow and caught all the way up in one day!? I'm flattered! I am pleased that you enjoyed Shadow so much, and I really hope you enjoy this version of Advent Children. Without further delay, here's the next Chapter!_

**Final Fantasy VII**

**Shadow – Advent Children: Chapter 2**

* * *

Zack looked to the massive sword on the wall. The sword had been given to him by his mentor, teacher, and friend and represented all of his dreams and pride. It was an older weapon, shaped like—in Aerith's opinion—a giant butcher's knife. With two simple slots for materia, it was a basic weapon. Zack still took care of it though, removing it to clean and sharpen it. He had found a new weapon, preferring to keep that one mounted as a momento from beating the legendary Soldier Sephiroth and saving the planet in the process.

His new weapons were similar to the materia blades that the Turks had given him when he was working for them. While those two, very unique, blades were lost forever the only similarities his new weapons held was that there was two of them. He had come to discover he had a knack for two weapon fighting. Of course, nothing beat the feel of the Buster Sword, but he was quick and agile. Two weapons just suited a growing fighting style. Even Cloud had mounted his Ragnarok, preferring a weapon that could split into two, or remain a greatsword. Zack had to admit, it was an ingenious design. Their spars got interesting, to say the least, especially when your opponents weapon could jettison another weapon from within. He had been so lost in thought that he hadn't heard his wife approach from behind him.

"Cid called...he'll be here in half an hour," she said. Her bright green eyes followed his to the weapon on the wall. She gave a faint smile. She had assumed that going to close to the crater would stir up memories for the black haired swordsman. Of course he would consider taking his trusted sword. "Are you taking it with you?"

Zack remained silent for a moment before shaking his head, turning to his wife with the boyish grin she had fallen in love with. "Nah. I'll be taking the usual. If Sephiroth was still lurking around, I'm sure the planet would have told us."

Aerith's faint smile became a broader one. He had come to trust the planet, much like she had as an Ancient. He too could speak to it, and she had found he used the spirits much like confidants. Telling the planet things he would never tell her...of course the planet was still young, a child even. It's mischievous demeanor always chose to reveal everything Zack told it. Of course, she'd never tell him that—she knew better than to give up her advantage.

"Oh? I thought you were going to name them" Aerith asked, slinking her arms around her husband's waist, "calling them the 'usual' is kind of demeaning."

"I just ain't thought of a name for 'em yet," Zack pouted. Aerith giggled slightly.

"Why not 'lefty' and 'righty'," she asked.

Zack gaped at her. "Pretty sure that's even more demeaning! We could have just named Aiden 'boy' then!"

"Mr. Fair, you should be happy I let you have a say in naming our son at all," Aerith said with a smirk, causing Zack to let out a 'pfft' and roll his eyes. The duo shared a soft kiss, Aerith leaning against him fully, before resting her head against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. She smiled faintly. Not so long ago, whenever she got close like this, his heartbeat was much faster. Now the two were as comfortable with one another as could be. Of course, Zack always said that was because 'once you've seen someone naked, you've seen everything there is to see!' She rolled her eyes at the memory. The rumbling of his voice caused her to lean back slightly.

"...still kind of nervous," Zack admitted. "I just...got a bad feeling, is all."

Aerith nodded. She had gotten it too, not so long ago. It was as if the Planet itself had it's suspicions proven right, or as if it was reluctant to say something. This caused doubt in the planet speaking duo, though Aerith hadn't wanted to say anything. Of course Zack would have known as well.

"I'm sure it's just because you're going near the Crater. I'm worried too...though more for you, than anything bad happening."

Zach sighed and rested his chin within Aerith's chestnut colored locks. He was silent for a moment before he shrugged and leaned back to look at Aerith. "Eh, I'm sure I'm just being paranoid. Anyway, I'm gonna finish checking my gear. If anything pops up, give one of the guys a call. I know Kazuki was complaining about not having any jobs lately."

Aerith folded her arms under her chest, giving him a disapproving frown. "Aren't he and Yuffie expecting? We shouldn't be giving him any jobs, just some of the pay from them. Sending him out when Yuffie needs him..."

Zack shrugged, though couldn't fight the toothy smirk that spread his face. "I believe his exact words were 'she is driving me insane'," Zack replied.

Aerith allowed her frown to turn into her own grin. "Well, she can be a handful."

"I think it's more like pregnancy horomones," Zack admitted, checking his dufflebag one more time.

"Zack Fair, are you implying that _all_ women are unbearable when pregnant?"

Zack blinked, his back to Aerith. She was trying to trap him...

"Oh, well would you look at the time! Cid should be here soon!" He turned, bag in hand, and kissed Aerith quickly, leaving just as quick. "Gottagoloveyoubabeseeyousoon!"

Aerith rolled her eyes and sighed. He was getting too good at this.

* * *

"Sir, I can't just leave you!"

"Elena, this isn't up for debate. Take the package, and go to Icicle Inn. Now."

"But...sir!"

Tseng loaded his final clip into the handgun he carried. 15 rounds. That was all he had to buy Elena time to escape.

* * *

_"This is all that remains, sir?" Elena looked at the wretched claw that had been unearthed. It was a pale thing, almost human looking—but not quite. The fingernails—or claws—were elongated and melded into the bone of the hand. It had five fingers, all equal length, including the thumb. It was certainly freakish looking._

_ Tseng set down a black container, the inside lined with mako infused gel covering. This was the last of the precious mako Shinra had once coveted. It would help preserve the hand, much as the cold temperature had done, but only for a short while. He then placed on a latex glove, securing the hand and placing it into the container. Pressing a concealed button on the side, the lid slid shut, latched down, and locked. The only way to open it now was the pass code that only the President knew. _

_ After having blown a way open into the crater, the duo had broken into a fire fight against the three silver haired youths. They had managed, using one of Elena's flashbang grenades, to escape farther into the crater. Since then it had been guerilla warfare tactics, and trap setting to slow down the pursuers while they tried to reach the remains of Jenova before the three lunatics did. _

_ "It is enough. After the Lifestream and Holy erupted from the planet's core, it's a miracle even this survived. The Planet tried to eradicate everything that it deemed hazardous to it...Jenova, I imagine, was one of it's priority targets. No matter where Sephiroth hid it...the Planet would find it."_

_ "And we're taking it back to the President?"_

_ Tseng shook his head as he stood, placing the container in his hand. "No. Before departing I made sure to set a contingency plan. I knew that the energy readings would interfere with our phones, because of that calling for extraction would be impossible. Instead, once our phones dropped out of service, an agent would contact someone and arrange a meeting. We have to travel to Icicle Inn, that is the drop off point. Our mutual contact will take care of the rest." _

_ "It's a shame you won't be making it that far," came a voice._

* * *

Elena grit his teeth and bowed her head before she nodded. "Very well, sir. Good luck." Tseng spared her a glance and a small smirk before nodding. The trio stood opposed to them, firing rounds in their direction that chipped the rock they sought cover behind. Elena reached into her belt and removed her two remaining magazines and placed them next to Tseng. "In case luck isn't enough."

Tseng nodded again before he counted to three with his fingers. On three, the black haired Turk spun from around the cover he was crouched behind, still crouched, and began firing rounds at the three. As soon as this was done, Elena leaped from her concealed spot, and sped off the opposite direction.

The trio still fired rounds, one of them clipping Elena's right side and causing her to stumble, but she pressed on, adrenaline fueling her efforts. Reaching an outcropping of rocks, she produced a single mine on from her jacket. She placed it opposite the side of the cropping that was visible.

"Loz," One of the silver haired men yelled, and the larger one—with shorter hair—burst forward. Tseng had no time to take shots.

Loz reached the out cropping that Elena had passed only moments before. The mine she had placed, a proximity one, detonated sending the large man flipping into the cavern wall, where he slid down unmoving. The explosion caused the already unstable cavern to shake wildly, before it began to collapse on the tunnel, sealing Tseng in with the trio.

* * *

"Alright, nancy, hold onto your frilly socks cause we're hauling more ass than when we left the Crater the first time," Cid said as Zack crested the side of the ship, via the rope ladder that had been slung over the railing. Zack grinned at the older man.

"Alright, I'll hold you to that," he replied.

"And we're stopping by Coral on the way back, to pick up Barret. I swear you people think I'm a damned taxi driver and not a pilot."

"Well, if you were a taxi driver...you'd be one of the best," Zack replied in a questioning manner, though Cid only grumbled in reply. Zack turned to head to the armory to place his belongings, though the site of Red made him stop.

"Hey Red, long time no see! What brings you along," Zack asked, genuinely happy to see the feline.

Red offered him a grin—though it looked more like a snarl, Zack could tell the difference. "I was visiting Cid when you called. I enjoy riding in the Highwind, so I figured I would come along. For old time's sake. Besides, we are all headed to the same place afterwards."

"You're going to Chloe's party? I didn't know you liked kids..I mean with Yuffie always fawning over you," Zack replied, walking past the feline. Red followed behind him, as the two progressed to the armory.

"She is...an exception to the rule. While some children are unruly, I wanted to see the offspring of two of my friends. Besides, what harm could an infant do?"

Zack grinned. "You obviously haven't met our kids."

* * *

Aerith turned the lamp off in the living room. Aiden had already been laid down for the evening, and the Ancient decided to try and get to sleep early. She had a hard time falling asleep nowadays without Zack in bed beside her, so she figured the head start would be beneficial. She hadn't made it to her room before she heard Aiden begin crying from his. She found this odd, as he hadn't cried at night since the first few weeks after bringing him home. Moving to the boys room she moved to the cradle. Sure enough, he lay awake crying, screaming even. She reached down and secured her son, causing him to yell louder. She cocked her head as she lifted him. Aiden had never acted in such a way. He always stopped crying the moment either mother or father held him. Keeping the wailing child in her arms, she moved to the kitchen to get him some milk. Taking one of the bottles out of the fridge, she placed it in the microwave briefly before placing the top on and trying to feed him. Aiden kept turning away from the bottle, so Aerith deduced he must need a diaper change—which she had done just before laying him down. Zack had fed the boy before leaving, and the father always chose to 'spice' up his baby food. No doubt it wasn't agreeing with the poor boy.

Taking him back to his room, she lay him upon his changing table and removed the diaper. Clean as it was, she frowned. She noticed, though, that as she removed the diaper the boy let out another loud cry. Turning her son over, she saw the source of his distress as a dark mark on his lower back, just above his buttocks. Blinking, she ran a finger over it and the boy let out another wail, flailing his arms and legs. She had seen this, of course. Geostigma was a sickness that had spread through the planet, but only to those that had come in contact with the Lifestream when it erupted from the Planet to combat Meteor alongside Holy. Herself and Zack had tested clean, and the Planet said it was because they were both Ancients—which meant their son, who would also be an Ancient, should be clean as well. Biting the inside of her lip, Aerith placed a clean diaper back on Aiden before sitting him in her lap. She calmed him the best she could before securing the phone.

She had kept in the loop about Geostigma only because she had tried to cure those she could. Shinra had started a relief effort for those afflicted by the sickness, though it wasn't going so well. Still, they were the most educated against it. Staring at the phone, Aerith let out a sigh. It couldn't be helped. She dialed a few numbers and flicked her hair to the side before cradling the phone against her shoulder. She cooed at her son a few times as the phone rang before someone answered.

"Reno...do you think you could stop by? I..have something I need to talk to you about."

**A/N: BUH BUH BUH! I know some of you are wondering if Cloud has Geostigma in this fanfic, and I will flat out say he does not. Again, because of this following an altered timeline, I am taking a lot of liberties, but trying to follow the story to a reasonable point. Sorry if this upsets anyone, but you're just going to have to read and find out how this all goes down! Please R&amp;R!**


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